What mower mows 1 foot high?

[Anonymous Poster]

Hi all. We just moved to some land where there are some rough and rocky ski trails. The terrain is fairly level though. I know I could maintain these trails with a hand held brush cutter, but there are several miles of trails. My question is what type, if any, tractor mounted mower could be used to keep the brush from taking over. I figure I'd have to mow at about a foot above the ground to keep from hitting rocks and stumps. Am I dreaming here, or is there a machine that would be appropriate for this purpose? I really enjoy this board and I'll probably register when I actually get a tractor next year. Thanks to all who take the time to respond!

 

[Knight9]

Karen,

I'm not able to comment on anything other than rotary cutter mowers. On average I would say they are rated to a maximum cut height of 8" which may not be enough for your purposes. You may be able to raise that a bit by using the 3ph....guess it would depend on your setup.

Kevin

 

[RobS]

Like Kevin said a rotary cutter will raise to about 8". If you really have rocks and such a foot high I'd question your ability to even manuever a tractor in there. Your tires are bound to get on some of them and that will make for a pretty scary ride. Can you clear the rocks? Hope this helps /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Pks]

Karen,

I have a Woods RM 600 rotarty mower driven by a Kubota B2400. The 3 pt will lift the mower more than 12 inches off the ground. The main difference with my mower is that the top link is used.

The length of the top adjusting link can be easily changed so the mower deck is horizontal when raised. Some mower styles use a chain for the top link.

A chain might limit the lift & horizontal attitude of the deck. If you need a photo of mine in a raised state, just say so.

However, in all practicality, if you have large rocks then don't mow over them. IMHO shove them aside first with a rear blade. You can bet that one day you'd drop that mower on a rock!

Peter

 

[GlueGuy]

Whoooeee. If you need to get the mower a foot high, have you considered that it might also be a challenge to get the tractor over those same obstacles?

I'm sure the rear wheel on most rotary cutters could be rigged up to raise the unit to 1', but the wheel would still have to "roll" over the occasional obstruction.

How feasable to clear the trails a little bit?

The GlueGuy

 

[Gatorboy]

Karen,

My Rhino FL15 Batwing mower raises to about 18". It sure comes in handy when I am backing into the thick growth of Multiflora Rose bushes I am clearing. It gives me a chance to then walk through my cut area and find any large rocks and haul them away.

http://www.pbase.com/image/236689

Now, if you want, you can use Roundup around the large rocks, stumps, and when you come through to cut, just turn off the PTO and bypass those portions. (If the stumps/rocks are too high to drag your mower over, then you should seriously consider clearing those before you begin.


Regards,
Dave "Gatorboy" Hoffmann
Fallston, Maryland

 

[Mike_Dumond]

A mower a foot off the ground is gonna be throwning some high speed projectiles. Make sure the loved ones are visiting a few miles down the road when you mow, and maybe a hunting license would be in order. Imagine trying to explain to a game warden, "honest officer, I was just mowing my lawn and........."

Seriously, get a tractor with a FEL. More fun, and it'll clear the rocks better than the mower will.

Keep the greasy side down.
Mike

 

[TonyC]

Clearing the trails first seems like the more reasonable solution. Failing that, I would use a good sickle bar mower. That's what the state uses here for irregular terrain. You can raise it up as high as you like (even vertical) and you won't have the dangers involved with a rotary mower. It doesn't have those huge swinging blades and none of it touches the ground.